text
stringlengths 0
238k
|
---|
not stimulate meaningful intellectual debate." [26] A rabbi interviewed by
|
DuBowski complained that the film "makes us appear to be narrow and bigoted".
|
[27] Arthur A. Goldberg , co-director of the Jewish ex-gay organization JONAH
|
, wrote a letter to the editor of The Jerusalem Post lamenting the "film's
|
biased and faulty assumption that same-sex attraction and behavior is
|
irreversible" and that "opposing points of view were, in the reviewer's words,
|
left 'lying on DuBowski's cutting room floor.'" [28] Orthodox clinical
|
psychologist Adam Jessel commented: [29] The film poignantly captures the
|
torment of those torn between their religious beliefs and their same-sex
|
attractions (SSA). One cannot help but feel compassion for DuBowski's
|
interviewees who desperately miss the lifestyle, community and close family
|
ties of the Orthodox world. Unfortunately, DuBowski's film goes further.
|
Implicit in the film is the message that homosexuality is desirable, and that
|
the interviewees' only struggle is having their choices accepted and validated
|
by the community. No Haredi Orthodox group spoke out in favor of Trembling
|
Before G-d . Rabbi Avi Shafran , the spokesperson for Agudath Israel of
|
America , one of the largest Haredi organizations, criticized the film with an
|
article titled "Dissembling Before G-d". In his response, he holds that gay
|
people can be cured through therapy, and that the movie is meant to promote
|
homosexuality: Unfortunately, though, "Trembling" seems to have other intents
|
as well. While it never baldly advocates the case for broader societal
|
acceptance of homosexuality or for the abandonment of elements of the Jewish
|
religious tradition, those causes are subtly evident in the stark, simplistic
|
picture the film presents of sincere, conflicted and victimized men and women
|
confronted by a largely stern and stubborn cadre of rabbis. That picture is
|
both incomplete and distorted. For starters, the film refuses to even allow
|
for the possibility that men and women with homosexual predilections might β
|
with great effort, to be sure β achieve successful and happy marriages to
|
members of the opposite sex. β Avi Shafran [30] DuBowski maintains that there
|
is no agenda to Trembling Before G-d "beyond alleviating an immense amount of
|
pain that people are going through", and that Judaism is lovingly portrayed.
|
Indeed, several audience members at screenings asked afterwards how they could
|
convert. [31] Accolades [ edit ] Year Group Award [24] [32] Result 2001
|
Washington Jewish Film Festival Audience Award β Special Mention Won Sundance
|
Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Nominated Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
|
Audience Award β Favorite Documentary Won L.A. Outfest Grand Jury Award β
|
Outstanding Documentary Feature Won Chicago International Film Festival Gold
|
Plaque Won Berlin International Film Festival Don Quixote Award β Special
|
Mention Won Teddy β Best Film 2002 Glitter Awards Best Documentary voted by
|
the U.S. Gay Press Won Independent Spirit Awards Truer Than Fiction Award
|
Nominated 2003 GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Documentary Won 2004 Satellite
|
Awards Best Documentary DVD Nominated Legacy [ edit ] The DVD was released in
|
2003 and contains many extra features, such as extensive interviews with
|
DuBowski and Rabbi Steven Greenberg. There is also a mini-documentary about
|
reactions to the film around the world and what happened to the people who
|
were featured in the documentary. [33] The total running time for the special
|
features is actually over 2 hours longer than the documentary itself. [13]
|
With a seed grant from Steven Spielberg , the creators of the film have set up
|
the Trembling Before G-d Orthodox Education Project, to teach Orthodox
|
educators and rabbis about homosexuality, [15] as well as convening the first
|
Orthodox Mental Health Conference on Homosexuality and training facilitators
|
to show the film to community leaders. [34] Over 2000 principals, educators
|
and school counselors have attended screenings within Israel's religious
|
school system. [35] The film has now been seen by an estimated 8 million
|
people worldwide. [36] Following the success of Trembling before G-d ,
|
DuBowski produced a documentary about gay devout Muslims entitled A Jihad for
|
Love . [36] See also [ edit ] Homosexuality and Judaism Keep Not Silent
|
(2002), a documentary about lesbian Orthodox Jewish women in Jerusalem Say
|
Amen (2005), a documentary about a gay man coming out to his Orthodox family
|
And Thou Shalt Love (2008), an Israeli short film that examines the
|
difficulties of being both an Orthodox Jew and gay Paper Dolls References [
|
edit ] ^ a b Wadler, Joyce (2001-10-30). "Public Lives; Even His Freeze-Frame
|
Moments Seem Spastic" . The New York Times . ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved
|
2023-02-23 . ^ a b Rechtshaffen, Michael (February 25, 2002), Trembling before
|
G-d Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine , Hollywoodreporter.com.
|
Retrieved February 18, 2007. ^ a b "Trembling Before G-d" . Box Office Mojo .
|
Retrieved 2023-02-23 . ^ Dorff, Elliot; Nevins, Daniel and Reisner, Avram
|
(December 6, 2006), Homosexuality, Human Dignity, and Halakha Archived
|
2007-06-04 at the Wayback Machine , The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards.
|
Retrieved March 9, 2007. ^ Lamm, Norman, Judaism and the Modern Attitude to
|
Homosexuality Archived 2015-03-02 at the Wayback Machine , Jonahweb.org.
|
Retrieved March 9, 2007. ^ Israelwire.com (May 18, 1999), Rabbi Ordained by
|
Yeshiva University Announces He is Gay . Retrieved March 9, 2007. ^
|
Tremblingbeforeg-d.com, Who's Who Archived 2007-02-06 at the Wayback Machine .
|
Retrieved March 9, 2007. ^ a b c Thomas, Kevin (February 20, 2002), 'Trembling
|
Before G-d': A documentary by Sandi Simcha DuBowski looks at the conflict
|
between honoring one's religion and sexual orientation. , Los Angeles Times .
|
Retrieved February 18, 2007. Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback
|
Machine ^ Armstrong, Rod, Reel Review: Trembling Before G-d Archived
|
2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine , Reel.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007. ^
|
Neroulias, Nicole (July 7, 2010). "An Interview With Rabbi Steven Greenberg:
|
Orthodox And Gay" . Huffington Post . Retrieved November 17, 2011 . ^
|
Gonzalez, Ed, Trembling Before G-d Archived 2007-03-29 at the Wayback Machine
|
, Slant Magazine . Retrieved February 18, 2007. ^ French, Philip (June 1,
|
2003), Trembling Before G-d , The Observer . Retrieved February 18, 2007. ^ a
|
b Burke, Brian (November 17, 2003), Trembling Before G-d Archived 2007-04-09
|
at the Wayback Machine , DVDVerdict.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007. ^ a b
|
Pearlman, Barry (Fall 2001), "Interview with Sandi Dubowski", Filmmaker
|
Magazine. ^ a b "Talk Today: 'Trembling Before G-d': Sandi Simcha DuBowski" .
|
USA Today . January 21, 2005. Archived from the original on August 19, 2007 .
|
Retrieved February 11, 2007 . ^ Monserrate, Carey (March 22, 2004), Trembling
|
Playground: two young directors discuss film, faith, and the challenges of
|
documenting religion. , CrossCurrents magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2007. ^
|
"John Zorn: Filmworks IX: Trembling Before G-D" . Tzadik . Retrieved June 13,
|
2023 . ^ Masada World: Filmworks IX Archived 2022-10-10 at the Wayback Machine
|
, accessed January 6, 2020] ^ a b Jurek, Thom, "John Zorn - FilmWorks IX:
|
Trembling Before G-D" , Allmusic , retrieved June 13, 2023 ^ Eugene Hernandez
|
and Brian Brooks (October 30, 2001), ""Trembling" Opens Strong in NYC; Sets
|
One-Day Record", Indiewire. ^ Keough, Peter (December 13β20, 2001), TREMBLING
|
BEFORE G-D , Thephoenix.com. Retrieved February 18, 2007. Archived September
|